Ammunition hoisting and loading apparatus.



A. T. DAWSON & J. HORNE. AMMUNITION HOISTING AND LOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 61 1915- Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

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A. T. DAWSON & J. HORNE. AMMUNITION HOISTING AND LOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION F1LEDJUNEl6.1915- Patented Dec. 31,1918.

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ARTHUR TREVOR DAXVSON, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, AND JAMES HORNE, OF

BARROW-IN-FURNESS, ENGLAND. ASSIGNORS STER, LONDON, ENGLAND.

TO VICKERS LIMITED, OF WESTMIN- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918;

Application filed June 16, 1915. Serial No. 34,547.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Sir ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, knight, and JAMES HORNE, bot-h subjects of the King of Great Britain. residing, respectively, at Vickers House, Broadway, [estminster, in the county of London, England, and Naval Construction Vorks, Barrow-in-Furness, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Ammunition Hoisting and Loading Apparatus, of which the following is a specifii-ation.

This invention relates to ammunition hoisting and loading apparatus of the kind in which the gun loading cage is provided with a movable support for the powder charge this support being controlled by the ramnier in su h a manner that it is permitted to move step by step so that it assumes the required positions for enabling the elements of. the powder charge to be dis harged through an opening in the cage on to the projectile tray for ramming into the gun.

According to this invention, the powder charge elements are retained in place in the cage partly by shelves or trays constituting the powder charge support and partly by the body of the cage through the opening of which the powder charge elements pass in succession to the projectile tray by a step by step movement imparted to the said support. Two such shelves or trays for the quarter powder charges may be employed, these shelves or trays being adapted to swing simultaneously in a plane transverse to the axis of the gun; means are provided whereby the rammer upon its return stroke after ramming the projectile, shifts a device into a position to liberate the said shelves or trays and by their movement to discharge the first two quarter charges laterally on to the pro jectile tray, whereupon the device brings the shelves or trays to rest and then after the ramming of these charges and on the return stroke of the rammer' to again liberate the shelves or trays and bring them to rest after discharging the second two quarter charges laterally on to the projectile tray. This device may comprise a movable stop connected by suitable mechanism with a member adapted to be displaced by the rammer head when it approaches its fully withdrawn position, this stop being capable of assuming three positions in succession. Moving with the supportis a plate or the like having three stepped projections or shoulders representing three different positions of the support viz: fully closed lower shelf discharged and upper shelf discharged, the movable stop engaging with these shoulders in succession when it is actuated by the rammer head. Manually operated means may be provided for placing the said stop in the said positions successively when it is desired to effect the discharging operations by hand.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into efi'ept, we will describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a rear elevation and a partial side elevation of a gun loading cage provided with a constructional form of our improvements.

Figs. 3 and i are diagrammatic rear elevations showing the position assumed by the powder charge support and its associated parts when the rannner reaches its fully withdrawn position after ramming the pro jectile and after ramming the first two pow der charges respectively, and

Figs. 5 and 6 are diagrammatic side elevations showing the member which is displaced by the rammer head and is connected to the movable stop, in positions corresponding to those illustrated by Figs. 3 and 4. l

A is the gun loading cage and A is the opening therein through which the powder charge elements pass on to the projectile tray A. B is the rammer-head. C represents the aforesaid powder charge support and c 0 represent its shelves or trays. D repre sents the aforesaid movable stop and D the member connected thereto and adapted to be displaced bythe rammer head. E represents the aforesaid plate moving with the support and c, o, 6 represent its stepped projections or shoulders.

In the example shown the support C is .13. ment of the :tray or shelf 0. 3O

'to the "rear end of the said spindle and is formed with a groove E having the stepped shoulders c, e, e for coiperatlng with a roller D constituting the aforesaid movable stop and carried by a pivoted arm 61. This arm is connected by a link cl to a spindle d projecting laterally from the lower part of the cage and carrying the aforesaid member D which isin the-form of an arm having a shoulder D with thefront surface of which a'projection F on a two armed lever F, F cooperates; disposed in front of the rammer head B as shown by Fig. 2. When the rammer performs its projectile ramming stroke its head over-rides the arm F but engages with it on the return stroke (Fig. 5) and thereby displaces the roller D into a position shown by Fig. 3 which is such that the powder charge support is free to move about its pivot under the influence of gravity until arrested by. the cooperation of the roller D with the shoulder 6 (see Fig. 3). The first two quarter charges will then have been deposited on the projectile tray by the move- When the rammer commences its outward stroke to ram these charges, the rammer head will override the arm F and on the return stroke will engage with it to displace the roller D into the positionshown by Fig. l in order to again free the support which moves to dischargethe remaining two quarter charges, whereuponthe support is again brought to rest as shown in Fig. t by the cooperation of the roller D with the shoulder 0 When the cage is lowered a suitable cam on the loading arm engages with a roller or projection E on the aforesaid stepped plate E to restore the support to its fully closed position, a spring (Z which operates upon the arm (Z causing the roller fD to move to its original position shown by Figs. 1 and 2.

The arm cZ andits roller D may be displaced manually by means of a hand lever G movable within certain limits determined by the cooperation of a projection g on the hand lever with fixed stops 5 g. The hand lever is provided with a spring catch G and the arm d is formed with three notches. Thus when it is'desired to displace the support C by hand the hand lever is moved in an anti-clockwise direction (the catch G being at this time not in engagement with the right hand notch in the arm d) until the projection g" bears against the stop 9. The catch G then engages with the second or middle notch in the arm d so that by moving the hand lever Gin a clockwise direction until the projection 9" comes against the stop 5] the roller D will have been brought.- into the position shown by Fig. 3 so that these arms are normally the support C can move cm, step to discharge the first two quarter charges; a simi lar operation takes place in moving the roller D into the position shown by Fig. 4:. The catch Gr" is normally held by its spring out of engagement with the notches so that 7 surfaces A A? on the cage and serves as a brake for the support. The degree of compression of the spring of this plunger may be adjusted so that the braking action can be varied as'desired.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 2' 1'. In ammunition hoisting apparatus, the combination with the ammunition cage and a movable powder charge support carried thereby, of shelves forming part of said support, the powder charge elements being retained in place partly by said shelves and partly; by the body of said cage and means for imparting a step by step movement to said support to enable the powder charge elements to escape from the cage through an opening therein. 7

2. In ammunition hoisting apparatus, the combination with the ammunition cage and I a movable powder charge support carried thereby, of shelves forming part of said support, the powder charge elements 'being retalned in place partly by said shelves and *partly by the body of said cage, and means for-enabling said supportto move step by step to permit the powder charge elements to escape from the cage through an opening therein.- v V 3. In ammunition hoisting apparatus, the combination with the ammunition cage and a movable powder charge support carried thereby, of shelves forming part of said support, the powder charge elements being retained in place partly by said shelves and partly by. the body of said'cage, and means for enabling said support to move step by step to permit the powder charge elements to escape from the cage through a lateral opening therein.

4. In ammunition hoisting apparatus, the. combination with the ammunition cage, of a swinging powder charge support carried thereby, shelves forming part of said support, the powder charge elements being rc-v a swinging powder charge support carried thereby, shelves forming part: of said support, the powder charge'elcments beingv retained in place partly by'said shelves and partly by a curved portion of said cage, and means for enabling said support to move step by step to permit the powder charge elements to escape from the cage through an opening therein.

6. In ammunition hoisting apparatus, the combination with the ammunition cage, the projectile tray carried thereby and the movable powder chargesupport carried by said cage, of shelves forming part of said support, the powder charge elements being retained in place partly by said shelves and partly by the body of said cage, and means for imparting a step by step movement to said support to enable the powder charge elements to pass in succession to the pro ectile tray through an opening in the cage.

7. In ammunition hoisting apparatus. the combination with the ammunition cage, the projectile tray carried thereby and the movable powder charge support carried by said cage, of shelves forming part of said support, the powder charge elements being retained in place partly by said shelves and partly by the body of said cage, and means for alternately liberating said support and bringing it to rest to enable the powder charge elements to pass to the projectile trav through an opening in the cage.

8. In ammunition hoisting apparatus, the combination with the ammunition cage, and the projectile tray carried thereby, of a swinging powder charge support carried by said cage, shelves forming part of said support, the powder charge elements being retained in placepartly by said shelves and partly by the body of said cage, and means for imparting a step by step swinging movement to said support, to enable the powder charge elements to pass in succession to the projectile tray through an opening in the cage.

9. In ammunition hoisting apparatus, the combination with the ammunition cage and the projectile tray carried thereby, of a swinging powder charge support carried by said cage, shelves forming part of said support, the powder charge elements being retained in place partly by said shelves and partly by a. curved portion of said cage, and means for alternately liberating said support and bringing it to rest to enable the powder charge elements to pass to the projectile tray through an opening in the cage.

10. In ammunition hoisting apparatus, the combination with the ammunition cage, the projectile tray carried thereby and the movable powder charge support carried by said cage, of shelves forming part of said support, the powder charge elements being retained in place partly by said shelves and partly by the body of said cage, and means .for imparting a step by step movement to said support to enable the powder charge elements to pass by the action of gravity to the projectile tray through an opening in the cage.

11. In ammunition hoisting apparatus, the combination with the ammunition cage, the projectile tray carried thereby, and a gravity controlled movable powder charge support carried by said cage, of shelves forming part of said support, the powder charge elements being retained in position partly by said shelves and partly by the body of said cage, stepped pro ections carried by said support, and a movable stop carried by the cage and adapted to cooperate with said stepped projections to permit the support to move step by step and thereby enable the powder charge elements to pass in succession to the projectile tray through an opening in the said cage.

12. In ammunition hoisting apparatus, the combination with the ammunition cage, and the projectile tray carried thereby, of a gravity controlled swinging powder charge support carried by said cage, shelves forming part of said support, the powder charge elements being retained in position partly by said shelves and partly by a curved portion of said cage, stepped projections carried by said support and av movable stop carried by the cage and adapted to cooperate with said stepped projections to permit the support to swing step by step and thereby enable the powder charge elements to pass in succession to the projectile tray through an opening in the said cage.

13. In ammunition hoisting apparatus, the combination with the ammunition cage, the projectile tray carried thereby, the gravity controlled movable powder charge support carried by said cage and the rammer for ramming the projectile and the powder charge elements into the gun, of shelves forming part of said support, the powder charge elements being retained in position partly by said shelves and partly by the body of said cage, stepped projections carried by said support, a movable stop carried by the cage and adapted to cooperate with said stepped projections to permit the support to move step by step and thereby enable the powder charge elements to pass in succession to the projectile tray through an opening in the said cage, and means operated by the rammer for moving said stop into its various positions.

14. In ammunition hoisting apparatus the combination with the ammunition cage, the projectile tray carried thereby, and the gravity controlled movable powder charge support carried by said cage, of shelves forming part of said support, the powder charge elements being retained in position partly by said shelves and partly by the body of said cage, stepped projections, carried by said support, a movable stopcarriedbythe cage and adapted to cooperate with saidstepped 5 projections to permit the support to move step by step and thereby enable the powder charge elements to pass in succession to the projectile tray throughan opening in the said cage,

and hand operated means for moving said stop into its various positions. 10

In testimony whereof We afiix our signzv tures. I c 7 ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON. JAMES HORNE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained to: na e each, by addressing the "commissioner of Patents,

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